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CN-121987424-A - Absorbent assembly for washable absorbent undergarment

CN121987424ACN 121987424 ACN121987424 ACN 121987424ACN-121987424-A

Abstract

A washable integral absorbent assembly (10) for a washable absorbent undergarment (1), which assembly extends in a longitudinal direction and has a transverse direction. The assembly includes an absorbent core layer of knitted or woven material connected to one or more further layers, and the core layer is provided with one or more stress relief regions to facilitate stretching of the core layer.

Inventors

  • P. Bromstrom
  • A knoos
  • A. Florence Weltmann

Assignees

  • 爱适瑞卫生健康产品有限公司

Dates

Publication Date
20260508
Application Date
20251013
Priority Date
20241104

Claims (15)

  1. 1. A launderable unitary absorbent assembly (10) for a launderable absorbent undergarment (1), the assembly extending in a longitudinal direction and having a transverse direction, the assembly comprising an absorbent core layer of knitted or woven material connected to one or more further layers, wherein the core layer is provided with one or more stress relief zones to facilitate stretching of the core layer.
  2. 2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the core layer comprises a plurality of individual sections and the stress relief region extends between adjacent sections.
  3. 3. The assembly of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the stress relief region comprises a cutout extending partially across the core layer to divide the core layer into interconnected regions.
  4. 4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein each cutout extends in the transverse direction across between 10% and 90% of the width of the core layer.
  5. 5. The assembly of claim 3 or claim 4, comprising 1 to 100 cutouts.
  6. 6. The assembly of any of the preceding claims, wherein the core layer comprises 2 to 30 individual sections or partially interconnected regions.
  7. 7. The assembly of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the stress relief region is non-linear.
  8. 8. The assembly of any of the preceding claims, wherein the stress relief region extends at least partially in the transverse direction to facilitate stretching of the core layer in the longitudinal direction.
  9. 9. The assembly according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the further layer comprises a top layer facing the wearer and/or a moisture distribution layer and/or a further absorbent core layer.
  10. 10. The assembly of any of the preceding claims, wherein the further layer comprises a garment-facing moisture barrier layer.
  11. 11. The assembly of any of the preceding claims, wherein the knitted or woven material of the core layer exhibits lower stretchability than any of the one or more further layers.
  12. 12. The assembly of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the core layer is connected at least in part at its side edges to the one or more further layers.
  13. 13. Washable absorbent undergarment (1) comprising one or more knitted or knitted fabric panels (2) and an assembly (10) according to any of the preceding claims positioned in the crotch region of the undergarment.
  14. 14. The garment of claim 13, wherein the component is permanently attached to at least one of the one or more fabric panels.
  15. 15. The garment according to any one of claims 13 or 14, wherein the fabric panels form a front region (3), a back region (4) and a crotch region (7) extending between the front region (3) and the back region (4), the front region (3) and the back region (4) being joined such that the undergarment (1) forms a waist opening (5) and a pair of leg openings (6 a,6 b), wherein a central longitudinal axis (y) of the undergarment (1) is defined along the one or more fabric panels (2) of the undergarment (1) from the back region (4) and towards the front region (3), and a lateral crotch axis (x) of the undergarment (1) is defined in a direction extending between the leg openings (6 a,6 b) so as to divide the crotch region (7) into a front region (7) extending longitudinally between the lateral crotch axis (x) and a front end (616 a,6 b) of each leg opening (6 a,6 b) and a longitudinal axis (62 a,6 b) extending longitudinally between the lateral crotch axis (x) and the central crotch region (6 b) of the rear region (6 a,6 b).

Description

Absorbent assembly for washable absorbent undergarment Technical Field The present disclosure relates to washable absorbent undergarments comprising an integral absorbent assembly having an absorbent core layer. The present disclosure also relates to such washable absorbent assemblies. Such articles and assemblies are intended for re-usable sanitary use for absorbing body fluids such as urine and vaginal fluids. The present disclosure relates particularly to absorbent assemblies having improved flexibility. Background For the purpose of absorbing body fluids such as urine and vaginal fluids, washable absorbent undergarments can be worn. Such garments form an environmentally and economically advantageous alternative to disposable sanitary napkins and disposable absorbent undergarments. Washable absorbent undergarments typically include a fabric panel of woven or knitted material. Conventionally, such washable absorbent undergarments will also include an integral absorbent component, sometimes referred to as a gusset, positioned in the crotch region of the wearer when the undergarment is worn. After use, the undergarment is washed or rinsed prior to repeated use. An example of such washable absorbent undergarments is found in WO2023169665A1. The absorbent assembly may vary in size and configuration depending on the intended use. It may extend over a smaller or larger area of the garment, for example depending on whether it is intended for daytime use or nighttime use. It may also be thicker or thinner with additional wicking, distribution, barrier and absorbent layers. Nevertheless, in addition to functioning from an absorption point of view, the resulting undergarment must also be confident and comfortable to wear for long periods of time, as well as provide good fit and be aesthetically pleasing. The choice of materials for incorporation into an absorbent assembly is one of the major challenges in developing such undergarments. Natural materials with sufficient absorbent capacity are available but are not easily integrated into garments while maintaining the level of comfort, confidence and concealment expected by today's users. Thus, it would be desirable to improve the efficacy of materials intended for use in absorbent assemblies. Disclosure of Invention This object is at least partially achieved by an absorbent assembly according to claim 1 and a washable absorbent undergarment according to claim 13. Further embodiments are set forth in the dependent claims and in the following description. Thus, the present disclosure relates to an integrated absorbent assembly or liner for a washable absorbent undergarment. The absorbent assembly extends in a longitudinal direction and has a transverse direction and further comprises an absorbent core layer of knitted or woven material connected to one or more further layers. The core layer is provided with one or more stress relief regions that facilitate stretching of the core layer. As a result of the stress relief region, material may be used for the core layer that would otherwise be too stiff or inextensible for integration or connection with further layers. It will be appreciated that the absorbent assembly positioned in the crotch region of the garment must exhibit minimal flexibility to conform comfortably to the body of the user. Without sufficient flexibility, the garment or at least the absorbent assembly would be uncomfortable and may leak due to failure to remain in the intended position. The flexibility of the absorbent assembly will be determined by all of the layers making up the assembly and the garment. Nevertheless, it will be appreciated that it will be the most stiff layer of the composition, which will be the limiting factor. By providing stress relief regions in the core layer of the assembly, it is possible to avoid that this layer is the limiting factor, even if a relatively inflexible material is used. The stress relief zone may extend at least partially in the transverse direction to facilitate and/or enhance the stretchability of the core layer and the absorbent assembly in the longitudinal direction. This is the primary direction in which the assembly should be able to stretch during use, but it will be appreciated that diagonal stretching or shearing is also important. This may thus be enhanced by the presence of a stress relief region extending at least partially in the transverse direction. In the following, stretchability will be used to refer to extension in a given direction, while flexibility will be used more generally to refer to extension in any combination of directions. The core layer may comprise a plurality of individual segments. The stress relief region may be a gap or space extending between adjacent sections. Each section may be produced separately and connected separately to further layers. Alternatively, the core layer may be produced as an article and subsequently cut into sections before or after connecting it to fur